CAREER: Teachers Learning to be Technology Accessibility Allies to Blind and Low-Vision Students in Science

为了进入STEM职业道路，盲人和弱视学生需要公平地获得高中科学课上的学习机会。科学课堂上的教与学越来越多地以技术为媒介。可悲的是，技术的使用使科学教育中的不公平现象长期存在，因为数字界面的设计和使用方式往往禁止盲目的学习模式。因此，这个盲导项目旨在通过提高教师的意识和准备来提高技术介导的高中科学教育的长期可及性。该项目的目的是：(1)调查在职教师对构建天生无障碍（即主动无障碍）技术介导的科学课程的知识状况；(2)不断为职前教师和在职教师提供学习如何构建天生的无障碍技术媒介科学课程的机会。本项目将探讨高中教师在创造天生的无障碍技术介导的科学课堂体验方面的技术、教学、思想和法律方面的知识。该项目将试图探索影响教师知识的因素。四阶段探索性顺序混合方法研究将对教师知识进行定性探索。然后，该项目将开发并试行一种测量教师知识的工具。最后，研究者将整合定性和定量的研究结果。为了配合这项研究，该项目将为职前教师创造机会，让他们学习如何为盲人和低视力学生开设技术为媒介的科学课程。教育活动将使用基于案例的学习和迭代教学设计过程来开发和实施：(1)一个案例库，(2)两个面向职前教师的混合单元，以及(3)面向全国职前和在职教师的异步开放教育资源。该项目旨在提高科学教育的长期可及性，促进盲人和低视力人群充分参与科学。长期目标是为盲人和低视力人群提供更多机会，在追求STEM职业的过程中为科学进步做出贡献。这是一个教师早期职业发展计划项目，响应国家科学基金会范围内的活动，提供最负盛名的奖项，以支持有潜力在研究和教育中成为学术榜样的早期职业教师。本项目由学习研究部DRK-12项目和ITEST项目支持。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

To enter STEM career pathways, blind and low-vision students need equitable access to the learning that occurs in high school science classes. Teaching and learning in science classrooms are increasingly mediated by technology. Tragically, the use of technology has perpetuated inequities in science education because digital interfaces are designed and used in ways that frequently prohibit blind modes of learning. Consequently, this blind-led project is designed to improve the long-term accessibility of technology-mediated high school science education by improving teacher awareness and preparation. The aims of the project are to: (1) investigate the state of inservice teachers’ knowledge about constructing born accessible (i.e., proactively accessible) technology-mediated science classes; and (2) iteratively develop opportunities for pre- and inservice teachers to learn how to construct born accessible technology-mediated science classes.This project will explore high school teachers' knowledge of the technological, pedagogical, ideological, and legal aspects of creating born accessible technology-mediated science classroom experiences. The project will seek to explore the factors that influence what teachers know. The four-phase exploratory sequential mixed methods study will qualitatively explore teachers’ knowledge. The project will then develop and pilot an instrument to measure teacher knowledge. Finally, the investigator will integrate the qualitative and quantitative research findings. In synergy with the research, the project will develop opportunities for preservice teachers to learn how to create technology-mediated science classes that are born accessible to blind and low-vision students. The education activities will use case-based learning and an iterative instructional design process to develop and implement: (1) a case library, (2) two hybrid units for preservice teachers, and (3) asynchronous open educational resources for pre- and inservice teachers nationwide. The project aims to improve the long-term accessibility of science education to foster blind and low-vision people’s full participation in science. The long-term goal is to open more opportunities for blind and low-vision people to contribute to scientific advancement in the pursuit of STEM careers.This is a Faculty Early Career Development Program project responsive to a National Science Foundation-wide activity that offers the most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education. This project is supported by the DRK-12 program and the ITEST program in the Division of Research on Learning.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.